"It was super difficult, the finale was harder than I thought. But I was really motivated. Finally, four years after my first win, it was about time I took a second one! It’s also the second time I’m rewarded with the yellow jersey as well so I guess it was worth the wait!
Of course, people put me as a favourite but when you see which riders were at the front on the climbs, I think I did a really good job. The team told me to study the last 500 metres. We had a video of the finish and I watched it a few times. I already had in mind what I wanted to do if it came down to a sprint but when you see who comes 2nd [Tadej Pogacar] and 3rd [Jonas Vingegaard], that says enough about how hard it was. I didn’t dare to raise my hands before the finish line but it’s an incredible moment.
They predicted headwind on the final climb so I thought Jasper would have a chance but the climbs were harder than we expected and the pace was super hard. At the top of the second last climb, we were only 8 riders at the front.
It’s a dream for the team. Everything else that comes now is just a bonus. I hope I can keep the jersey until the time trial, then it will be very hard to keep it. Just winning a stage was the goal for me and I’m very very happy to have achieved it."
